Wrong Way
by crystalxcobweb
Summary: Journey got her nickname from her strong belief that life is a journey. But after taking too many wrong turns, she ends up in Camp Green Lake. please review :
1. Chapter 1

We're all here for different reasons, and some of us are here for a collection of reasons. I'm part of that "some."

I feel like there's this long chain of events that lead me here, maybe they were even set in motion when I was born. I don't know, I'm a into that "fate" thing. Kind of. I used to be super into it, but lately life's been kicking my ass, and since I'm-or I at least try to be a good person-karma doesn't make a whole lot of sense, huh? I guess I should say I WAS trying to be a good person, until...I wasn't. I know, specific.

Maybe I should back up a bit, collect my thoughts...

So, yes, fate might have been planning for me to be here all along, but I can pin point a couple huge factors that got me here: my family kicking me out, when I started dating _him, _when I broke up with him in my head but my heart wouldn't let him go, and just being a _little bit _less all my life. Someone else was always a _little bit _skinnier. A _little bit _prettier. Their hair just a _little bit _neater. The girl he was cheating on me with was just a _little _more willing to go "that far." She was just a _little bit _skinnier. She was a _little bit _better. She rubbed it in to my face just a _little bit. _But buddy, I was already close to my breaking point, a _little bit _was a little too much.

Looking back, I should've gone after the boy. I know that. But when it comes to him, my brain has this weird habit of not functioning right. So, I went after her, all I was going to do was make _her _a _little less _pretty.

And then I ran away. From them, from their friends, from the whole world. Running is kind of what I do. It just comes naturally, it's what I've been trained to do. Except this time, I got caught.

"Hey!" shouted a voice from very far away.

"Now, Alan, it wasn't nece-"

"Well, what are we supposed to do, Mom?" said a voice with a country accent, fading in and out, "What if she's dead?"

"Then my water was wasted for nothin'!" says the first voice, "Water can't wake the dead, dumbass!"

"Hello?" I called up, my voice choked from the dryness. I looked around to the all-too-familiar sight of the dirt walls of a five foot by five foot hole.

There was a beat of silence, then three heads poked their heads over the edge of the hole.

"Hey, she is alive," says the owner of the first voice, who's dark skinned with large glasses.

"Told you," said the one with the accent.

"Hello," chips the last voice. I recognize him from when I first got here, he's the counselor or something.

"Hey," I say sitting up.

Oh. Bad idea. The world is a sea of swirling black dots.

"What're you girl scouts doing, haven't you been gawking at that hole long enough? What, 'd you find something interesting?"

"Kind of," they mutter.

Mr. Sir comes up behind them.

"Well, looky there," he says, "We found our runaway."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, let me get this straight," the counselor, who I had learned was Mr. Pendanski, who watched over D Tent, said, "You ran away from the girl's camp, meant to get all the way away but passed out into a hole."

"Yep," I say. I wasn't sure what was so shocking about it, I mean, look at this place.

He, Mr. Sir, and I were walking to the Warden's cabin.

"You wanna fill in what happened after that?" I ask him.

"Well, two boys from D Tent, Rex and Alan, apparently lost something out here yesterday. They were looking in the holes for it, when they found you. Rex called me over, unsure of what to do, but before I could suggest anything, Alan took Rex's canteen and poured it on your face. I guess it woke you up."

"Or the shouting did," I mutter under my breath.

_D Tent...,_ I think, _I think I've heard something about them..was it?...OH YEAH!_

That Stanley kid. He was in D Tent. The one who found the treasure the Warden had been searching for for so long, then was released from the camp. When he got out, he and his friend became like super-billionaires. After they got out, people kept asking them what CGL was like, and he finally ended up writing a book about it-I think it was called Holes or something-and when some of the state people got a hold of it they were like "Heyyyyyyy...that's a good idea!" and re-opened it, along with a girls' camp.

Yeah, I don't get it either.

We got closer to the two shady trees. I still don't understand how they're alive. We might get some rain, now, but not too much. Usually they're these crazy storms, blowing up dust and coating the tents with mud. We usually all had to hide out in the mess hall, which thanks to new funding, had a basement(and, on a more useful note, food that was actually edible). At least we got a break for a day or two while the earth dried enough for us to dig again.

Why are we still digging? I have no idea, but I'm thinking someone's obsessed.

Mr. Sir quickly takes off his hat and smooths his hair before ringing the door bell.

The Warden, a tall, redheaded lady comes to the door.

"What do you want?" she says.

"D Tent found something," Mr. Pendanski says through the screen door.

"Yeah, our runaway," Mr. Sir adds.

The Warden peers around him and looks at me. Then, she silently opens door, and walks over to her couch.

I guess this is "come in", so I walk in, with Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski right behind me.

"You didn't get very far," are the first words out of her mouth.

"Yeah, you're tellin' me," I reply.

"Personally," Pendanski butts in, "I'm still trying to figure out why you left. This isn't such a bad place, now is it?"

I stare at him.

"How about you we switch jobs and you dig the holes then tell me that?" I suggest.

He frowns. "I don't know about the girls' camp, but here, sass won't get you very far, Miss...wait, what's your name again?"

I frown. I know, it's a simple question, and by now I should probably have a lie. But I don't. And I hate my name. Like, with a deep, burning passion, I can't stand it, and having people call me by it almost feels like they're calling me by some kinda insult.

"Journey," I reply, using the nickname I got here. That name, I kinda like.

"Not here," Pendanski says, "The one society will one day call you by. The one given to you by your mother and father. The one-"

"Save it, Pendanski!" the Warden snaps, rubbing her forehead, "It's Journey, okay? Just call her that. And I can take it from here. You're dismissed."

He looks at her, surprise, then at me, then at Mr. Sir, who shrugs.

"You talk too much."

"You're dismissed too," The Warden tells him.

"I didn't say nothin'!" Mr. Sir says.

The Warden glares at him.

He huffs and then he and Pendanski get up and leave.

She turns to me.

"So," she says, leaning back, "Why exactly were you trying to run away?"

I freeze.

"I...don't know," I answer, honestly, "It's just kinda what I do. I get tired of a place, tired of the people, so I just move on. Leave them to keep going through the cycle without me."

"Uh-huh," she says, with narrowed eyes, almost confused, or would-be confused, cause I'm pretty sure the warden doesn't actually have emotions.

"Wait, why do you care?" I blurt out.

"I don't," she replies, a little too fast, "I just...," she clears her throat, "So, if we send you back, will you run again?"

"Probably."

"You know you could die out here, right?"

"Uh-huh."

She sighs.

"And again, why do you care?"

She looks up and gives me a "don't-push-it" look.

"So, you got tired of the people, tired of the place?"

"Yep."

"Well, your _journey,_" she says snidely, and I feel my cheeks flush pink, "Brought you here. So why don't you stay a while?"

"But I just told you, I'll run-"

"From the girl's section. You said nothing about the boy's."

A/N Sorry it took so long to publish, I decided to change some things, and I needed to re-write some of the story. Also, some of these ideas are in "Stanley Yelnats Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake", such as the girl's camp and it being re-opened. PLEASE review.


	3. Chapter 3

"Th-the boys?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's a change of scenery, isn't it?"

"B-But," I felt a little ridiculous saying it, but the next words came out of my mouth anyway, "But they're _boys._"

The Warden laughed, and I felt myself starting to blush.

"Yes, yes they are," she said, "Delinquent boys, in fact, but not one of them have attempted murder, like you have."

"_Assault and Battery," _I hiss, before realizing that's probably what that freaking bitch told the cops. Besides, it's not much better.

"Sure," the warden says, obviously skeptical, "But either way. Besides, it's not worth the extra gas to drive you all the way out to the girls' camp to do the same work."

That made it seem pretty logical and not like the cruel, sick punishment like I knew it was.

"Or...or you could drive me back home after the bus drops off a new delinquent? Maybe?" I say, even though I know it's a long shot.

"We have to release you to parents," she says, "or a lawyer, in some cases, if we're that high-and-mighty," she mutters under her breath.

"Not after our sentence, right?" I say, a sudden realization dawning on me, "Like, after 18 months, the bus'll come back and drive away and drop us off, right?" I'm starting to get panicky.

"No, that only happens if they stay here four months after your sentence, then we have to track down you're parents and make sure they're at the bus stop when we drop you off...why?"

"N-no reason," I say, gulping. I have this scary feeling I'm gonna be stuck at Camp Green Lake forever, before I realize I don't have to take orders from a bus. I'll just run. Soon. Very, very soon...

"You'll stay here, on the couch," she says gesturing around, "I'd have you stay in one the tents, but after the government gave us that money, and the whole uprising about how they shouldn't have, the last thing I need is for a girl to get raped out here."

My eyes go wide in fear.

"I'm kidding," she says.

"Sick humor," I say, in response she shrugs.

"Since D tent found you, you can dig in their area. You know just about everything else," She looks out the window, "And look at that, you still have time to dig one," she smiles a mockingly at me,

I smile sweetly back, just to confuse/tick her off. Her smile falls, and her brows furrow, before she picks up her walkie-talkie thing.

"Pendanski, I'm on the way with our newest addition to D tent."


	4. Chapter 4

** A/N: **_~this means a flashback~ _Please review :)

On the way down to their "digging area", I grab a shovel from the "library", which is really just a shed, and a bottle of water that bumps against my side.

When we head down three heads pop up from their holes. It's the two guys I "met" earlier, plus a different kid. The new kid's eyes go wide, and he whispers to the other two, "That's a _girl!_"

"Dig here," says the Warden, before turning and leaving.

I jab my shovel into the dirt and start digging.

"Hey, yo," says the dark-skinned one from earlier, "I'm X-Ray. And that's Squid and Twitch. Who're you?"

I turn towards him. His face is half-covered with thick black lenses that are covered with dirt, and I start wondering if he can actually see out of them.

"Journey," I reply, turning my back to him.

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," X-Ray says, and I can hear him get out of his hole, "You know, it'll be real hard for you to dig that hole all by yourself, why don't you let me help you?"

"I'm fine," I tell him, not turning around.

I feel his hand on my arm.

_ ~I feel a hand on my arm, tight and I get dragged away from the swirling, dancing dresses. I've heard of this custom, I've just never experienced it. _

_ I don't know him, but he leans me against the wall, and kisses me, deeply. I try to pull back, but there's no space behind me to escape to. I just wait, and finally he breathes, and I yank my arm away and disappear into the colorful._

_ I hear my name, and turn to see my teary-faced mother. _

_ "Your first grab!" she says, placing her hands on my shoulder, "You just may be the first out of all your sisters to marry...even if you are the oldest!" she pulls me close for a hug._

_ I don't hug her back._

_ Marriage. Now. At 13. Spending the rest of my life with someone like that. Being a housewife for the rest of my life. Suddenly, I feel like I'm trapped. Trapped and helpless.~_

I swing my shovel without thinking. It connects to X-Ray's knees, and he immediately goes down, his glasses flying off. His friend(Squid?) hops out of his hole and rushes over to him. "What's your problem?" he shouts at me.

I shrug, "I don't like being touched."

Squid looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Look, just because I'm a girl, doesn't mean the rules of Camp Green Lake don't still apply."

"What rules?" X-Ray asks, snidely.

"The rules of survival," I say, shoving the blade in the ground right next to his neck, "Number one, don't ask questions and stay out of other people's business; Number two, stay in _your _hole, and number three-_do not piss people off._"

I pull the blade up, and X-Ray slides backwards away from me. Squid helps him up, and they both start walking away.

"X, wait!" I shout. He stops, and turns, cautiously.

"You forgot something," I say, picking up his glasses and holding them up.

He hesitates then turns back, and starts walking to me.

I pull out my water bottle, and pour little droplets onto the lenses. I wipe them with my sleeve, making sure they're not streaky.

I hold them out, and looks at me, confused.

"It won't last long, but at least you can see for a couple hours."

He takes them, then looks at me, "Thanks," he says, but he turns and quickly walks back towards his buddy, and they walk to the camp.

I watch them go, before going back to digging.

I may be fine with the first three rules, but the last one is the one I always have trouble with. I'm just trying to avoid it here. The fourth is main thing in the long run-

_ Do not make enemies._


	5. Chapter 5

I'm just starting to dig, when I hear someone's throat clear.

I look up and see the kid I just met, Twitch, peeking out from his hole.

Crap. I forgot about him.

"Um, I heard what you said, but X-Ray's got a point, you can't dig a hole by yourself," he says slowly, but when I glare at him, the next words come out in an anxious blur, "Oh, no, I mean this late, you can do it any other time, except now-"

He continues to babble nervously, and I sigh. As much as I hate to admit it, they're both right. The sun is quickly sinking, and once it's gone, I'm screwed.

"What I'm saying, is, um, well, if you want, or if you don't mind, I-"

"Hey, you wanna help me?" I say, breaking the tension, and making it easier for both of us.

His face lights up and he hops out and walks over to me.

"You dig on this side," I say, "We'll get the width, then dig down."

We start digging, and when we're knee-deep, something dawns on me.

"So, why aren't you hanging out with your friends at the rec room or something?"

I ask him, trying to sound casual.

"Oh...I'm really twitchy, and those rules you were talking about earlier? I'm really bad at following them," Oh God. "I mean, I never mean to piss people off, but I do get in their business. I just wanna talk. Though, I think the twitching stopped with the digging. It's calming, kinda. It's funny, I didn't really twitch outside of here, just when I saw a really nice car, then-" His words come out in a hyper blur.

"Hey, you know how you said digging's calming?" I ask, "Maybe you want to get back to it...?"

"Oh, right," he says. He digs a little deeper before continuing, slower and calmer, "Anyway, the D Tent guys got kinda used to it, but no one else did, I guess. They don't like me. I've gotten into a lot of fights, and I'm kinda scrawny, so, I'm not real good at fightin', so..." he looks down, embarrassed. Then, he rolls up his sleeve.

"Yikes," I say, drawing back. Large, dark bruises and shallow scratches crowd his skins, almost like polka dots. Big, angry polka dots...

"I figure you probably got in some fights from what happened back there," he grins at me, "...and that wrap on your arm."

I look down, and the wrap I've been wearing is still firmly in place, covering a deep gash that seems to bleed when it feels like it.

"What happened?" he asks, casually.

I bite my lip.

"It's not important," I say turning back to my side of the hole.

I stab the ground, _his_ face flashing in my mind.

I blame _him_.

For this gash, for me being in this place, for screwing up my life. He's scum, lower than scum. He ripped me from my world, promising freedom, and instead trapped me in his world. And when I didn't obey? He abandoned me.

I stab the ground, my fury boiling over.

But not him, at me. Because even after all he put me through, I'd still take him back, no hesitation.

We finish the hole in silence, I guess Twitch realizes he's struck a nerve.

"Y'know, you should come back and eat dinner," he says cautiously, almost nervously, "We can actually eat it most days, and you look like you need it," he says, looking at my thin arms.

I shake my head.

"Thanks, but it's been a long day, and I need to rest," I tell him, turning and walking away.

Then I stop, and turn back to him.

"By the way...thanks," I say.

Then I head to the Warden's cabin.

He may be annoying, but here, that's the closest to normal you can get.


	6. Chapter 6

I lay on the Warden's couch, staring up at the ceiling. She has a pretty small cabin. There was a "living" room, which is where I am at the moment, and down a small hallway on the right is her bedroom and the bathroom. Down the left hallway is the kitchen, and, behind a locked door, her office which is "strictly off-limits." The couch is actually pretty comfortable compared to the cots, but still I can't sleep. I keep thinking about rule number four, mainly how I could possibly follow it. I thought the girls were hell to deal with, but now I'm not so sure if the boys will be any better, even if one of them has a cute accent-

Wait-did I just say cute?

That's it, I'm going to bed, I'm beginning to get delirious. Rolling over to my side, I close my eyes, and pull the thin blanket up to my chin.

…

_Thunk._

My eyes shoot open and look at the clock. I haven't been asleep for long, and it's not time for digging.

_Thunk._

Sitting up, I look at the left side of the cabin, wondering what the Warden could possibly be doing up. I stand up and walk down the hallway, stopping just beside the kitchen, which is where the door is.

The still locked door.

I try to turn it anyway, but it's definitely locked. I jiggle the knob. I could've sworn the noise came from here.

Nothing. Just silence.

Shaking my head, I turn around and start to head back to my "bed", but decide to stand there a bit. Something just seems off. Sure enough, the noise comes back after just a few short moments, faster this time. _Thunk, thunk, thunk. _Then a small shuffling sound.

I walk back out to the couch, and grab some jeans to go over the short-shorts that I sleep in. I don't bother with the top, and head outside.

On the side of the cabin is a small window that is now propped open. I lean against the side and wait.

After a while, a camper slides out, feet pressed against the sides as he guides himself down, holding on to a folder. He then reaches up and pulls the prop out of the window.

"Sup?" I ask causing him to jump and whirl around.

From the moonlight, I can tell it's the one with the accent from earlier-Squid, I think.

"Oh, good," he says, sighing, "It's just you."

"So, uh, whatcha doing?" I ask him.

"You know," he says, matching my casual tone, but his smirk gives him away. He must be up to something, "Just looking for new reading material."

"Reading material?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.

"Sure," he says, and holds up the folder, "I read everyone's file. What else am I supposed to do all day?"

"Ah," I say, sarcastically, "And who's on the reading list today?"

"Well, I finished all the boys', I guess it's the girls' turn. I figured I'd start with...," his smirk gets even larger, "You."

My eyes go wide before I can stop them.

"M-me? You want to read my file?" I ask, trying to keep the panic out of my voice. "No, no, it's boring I promise-"

I reach for it, but he holds it above his head.

"Yeah, sure," He says, laughing, "That's why you want it back so bad."

"I-I don't want it back," I say, pulling my hand back, "I don't care what you find."

"So, what, exactly, am I gonna find?" he asks, cautiously lowering the folder.

"I guess you'll find out," I say turning, and heading back around to the front door, "Unless, of course the Warden finds out first," I call over my shoulder.

I hear a pause, then he says "You wouldn't."

I smile and shrug, before turning the corner.

That's when it hits me.

I can't tell on him. I can't make enemies.

Crap.

(third person POV)

Squid walked back to D Tent, folder in hand. He looked down and smiled at it. He was telling the truth when he had told Journey that he decided to start with the girls' camp. Of course, he'd have liked to start with her's, but since it was in order of their real names, he had no way of knowing which one that was. When he heard the knob jiggling, he had decided to just grab the first one, he could go down the file. He'd eventually find her's, he figured.

His smile slowly fell from his face. He wondered what could possibly be so bad in her file that she wanted it so bad.


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay, here's the deal," I say four hours later, as I get Squid to drift away from the group, "You keep what's in my file a secret, and I won't tell the Warden, kay?" The sun isn't even close to being up, but we're already getting ready to dig, heading to the "library" and grabbing breakfast.

I've been tossing and turning all night, dreading what he might say, or find out, since I'm absolutely positive with my background, it's an interesting read. I never considered that someone getting a hold of it could not only ruin my image, but possibly my entire life.

He raises his eyebrows, "Who says I'm taking that deal?"

"Who says you can afford not to?" I counter, ignoring my panic, and he glares.

"Fine," he says, begrudgingly.

"Ah, Alan...Journey...," says Mr. Pendanski coming up to us, "I see you two are already acquainted."

"Oh, yeah, Mom," Mom? "We're the bestest of buddies."

Then he loops his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to him. What the hell? He's already seen how I get when I'm touched. I start to shove him off, then realize I can't. Not with a counselor right there. And he probably realizes it, too-scratch that. He obviously realizes that.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't mine being her mentor?" Mr. Pendanski asks him. Squid's smirk falls from his face.

"Great," Pendanski continues, oblivious. Then, he starts walking around again, leaving us alone.

After he's gone, I jerk away from Squid.

"That's what you get for being a smart ass," I tell him, "But don't worry-I've been here long enough. I know how this goes."

I start walking away with my shovel.

"Hey, smart ass," he calls after me, "Obviously not long enough if you don't realize that you need food before you start digging."

I roll my eyes and keep walking, but soon he jogs up next to me, holding a tortilla that's dripping in honey.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Food. Go get it," he gestures back towards where everyone else is huddled. The food is placed right in front of the shed.

"I'm not hungry," I say.

He furrows his eyebrows.

"What? I'm not," I insist, starting to feel tense.

"You gotta be," he says, and from the expression I give him he continues, "You've been past out in that hole for how long? And then you just jump right back to digging a hole, skip dinner, and now you're skipping breakfast?"

I start feeling panicky again, which is how I always feel when I'm put on the spot. I start wondering how much of this he put together and how much he read in the handy-dandy file.

"I don't-," How do I say this? "Get hungry very often."

He gives me a strange look, before rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "Whatever, Freak."

I breathe a sigh of relief. I've worked on keeping these secrets too long to just let them slip. I need to start being more careful.

And I need that file back.

…

By mid-day, my hole is almost done. The guys are pretty shocked, but I'm not. This always happen when I get anxious. The files keeps wearing on my mind, and the poor ground gets the majority of the anger, being stabbed again and again. My arms are gonna be sore tomorrow, but I'll deal with that later.

Had he read the whole thing by now? Is he waiting to cut me down with one swift remark?

I glance up at Squid, who's nonchalantly digging his hole in a way that makes me want to scream with rage. He looks up and smirks at me, taunting me. I glare and mouth "not a word", but he just laughs.

"What's so funny, Squid?" a kid named Magnet asks from his hole.

When we got to the digging area this morning, I learned who everyone was pretty quick. X-Ray was clearly the leader, so my "welcome" wasn't exactly warm, not that I was expecting it to be. The next two "in command" were Squid, and a kid named Armpit. There was also the token "crazy one", who they called Zigzag. Twitch was the weird one. Magnet seemed fairly normal, but the day is young.

Squid looked at me, and when I glared back, he sighed and went back to digging.

"Yo, Squid, I said what's so funny?" Magnet asked.

"Your Mom, Magnet," Squid replies.

I pause right before dumping my dirt outside of the hole. _Seriously? _Seriously? That joke is so friggin' old.

"Yo man, what'd you say about my mama?" Magnet asked, throwing down his shovel.

"I said she's funny, Magnet," Squid replied, in fake-sweetness, "You know...funny-lookin'."

"Guess we know where Magnet got his looks from," Armpit pipes in. The rest of the tent starts laughing.

Except me. I'm trying to absorb the fact that I'm gonna be spending the next months of my life surrounded by these idiots.

And the king of idiots has my deepest, darkest secrets in his hands.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, Writer's block sucks X(. I hope this chapter makes up for it! Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yes, I know it's been too long, but I'm back now :) And I promise, it won't take two months to update next time! Please review:)

The familiar waves of nausea and dizziness are starting to come over me again, and I lean on my shovel for what feels like the fiftieth time as the blacks dots fill my eyes. This is how the day has mostly gone, and why my hole _still _isn't done, even though it's almost dinner time. Everyone else is gone, even Twitch, who I finally got to leave me alone. I don't want to put a bigger target on my back by having someone else keep helping me with my hole. Besides, I'm more than capable of digging a hole by myself.

Usually.

Until times like these. Times where, okay, maybe skipping meals is not smart, and maybe I do need food, but if that's the case, why is it so easy to forget it? Why do I feel so horrible when I do eat?

Even now, with dull pains starting in my stomach. I know how this goes. They just get sharper, and sharper, and then...

~_I've been out in the never-ending desert that is Camp Green Lake for about four days, and for those four days, I've eaten more than I have in the last months. It's just so hot, and I'm so hungry, it's as if my stomach is a bottomless pit. I haven't eaten any today, and those stupid pains that come just before I pass out are back._

_ I'm following the holes. I'm in the boy's camp now, and the closer I get to camp, the more holes there are. I'm bordering on the edge, because I don't know what these guys would do if they found me, and I'm trying not to guess._

_ The bag of food I stole is bouncing against my back. I still have a good amount of food left, I could spare a peach or two right now. _

_ But do I really need it?_

_ My brain and stomach are screaming "YES" at me, but in the back of my mind, there's a picture of me with all the fat back on, and it screams a much louder "NO." _

_ That one wins._

_ I make it a mile or two more before the pains become too much. I hop in a hole and lie down, just for a few moments...~_

"Journey!" I hear a voice shout, and my eyes shoot open. I look up and see Squid sitting at the edge of my hole.

"Is this a common thing for you?" he asks. I just glare at him.

"What do you want?" I ask him.

"I wanted to know why you're still not finished by dinnertime when you were halfway done at lunchtime," he says, "I told you you need to eat before you dig." He holds out a peach, already peeled.

It kinda hits me then, that I have no idea what happened to my bag of peaches and bread I stole from the girls' camp. When they found me, I totally forgot about it. I also think about how full it was, and how much I ate from it.

"I don't need that," I say, turning my back on him, and picking up my shovel.

"...What?" Squid asks, as I start digging.

"I don't need it, I'm not hungry."

He jumps in my hole, clearly not knowing when to take a friggin' hint.

"Okay, I don't know what you're tryin' to prove with this whole 'I'm not gonna eat' crap," he says in his Southern accent, "But whatever it is, it's not working."

"I'm not trying to prove anything!" I say.

"Then eat the damn peach!"

I start to reach for it, but stop myself.

"I just can't, okay?"

He rolls his eyes, "My god, this is ridiculous, it's like you have an eating disorder or something-"

"I don't!" I snap a little too quickly.

That does it. His eyes widen.

"Oh my God...," he says, as if something's dawning on him, "Oh my God."

"I said I _didn't," _I press.

"How do you even survive?" he asks.

"I don't have a stupid eating disorder!" I say, walking over and snatching the peach. I take a huge bite of it and try not to cringe, "See?! I'm _fine!"_

He crosses his arms and just stares at me. I pray that he'll stop, but I know he won't until I eat the whole thing.

"Oh, for God's sake," I say, rolling my eyes, as I try to look like I'm not making myself choke this disgusting thing down, and actually enjoying this, because I'm normal and I totally eat normally. Yep, that's me. I somehow get the whole thing down.

When I get to the pit, I suck the juices off, then throw it at his feet.

"Happy?" I ask him, but he's still staring at me.

"You can't survive for six months on one peach," he says.

"I don't remember planning to," I say, "Oh yeah, cause I wasn't."

He rolls his eyes, "Whatever," and jumps out of the hole. He turns back to me, "Ready?"

"I'm not finished," I tell him.

"Look, I'm your mentor or whatever. Just say that you missed dinner and, you know, _fainted. _The sun is going down. Besides, the width is the good, and the depth is good enough."

I look at the darkening sky and weigh my options. This'll be the second day in a row I haven't dug my own hole, and being the only girl, and staying in the Warden's cabin already puts a huge target on my back. I really can't afford a bigger one.

That's when something else hits me. I really will have to start eating again. I can't keep fainting. If Squid can figure it out after two days, what happens when someone important figures it out? And in the mean time, I can't be known as the girl who always passes out. Just no. But still, it's not like I'm planning on making friends here. Hell, it's not even like I'm planning on staying here much longer. At this rate, I'll probably get my file back and get out.

I throw my shovel down and try to pull myself out of my hole, but I end up slipping.

"Need help?" Squid asks.

"No, I got it," but just then I slip again.

He raises his eyebrow and holds out his hand.

This time I take it.


	9. Chapter 9

I follow him back to camp, but just as I'm about to turn and go to the direction of The Warden's cabin, I hear a familiar, nasally voice call out-

"Journey!" Pendanski called. I cringed and turned around.

"You're just in time for group!" he says.

Fuck.

"I really oughta get going…the Warden might worry…,"

I hear Squid snicker.

"What?" I whisper to him. "She might have a heart!"

He looks skeptical, "Sure."

"Nonsense," Pendanski says, "I'll radio her. Come on in."

He turns and enters the tent.

"You know," Squid says, "If you told him about the whole fainting thing, you could probably get out of therapy and digging tomorrow."

"I don't need special treatment," I tell him.

"You mean you don't need any_more _special treatment?" he asks, and I feel my cheeks redden.

He sees this, and rolls his eyes.

"I'm _kidding," _he says, "I get it. You're a girl."

You don't say?

"Some of these guys could eat you alive."

"Hey!" I say, defensive, "I can take care of myself, you know. I don't need someone else to do it for me." _Anymore._

He huffs, "Look, you can't have it both ways."

"I don't want it either way!" I shout at him. "I wanted to get out of this stupid camp now I'm stuck here under a fuckin' microscope!"

"You're under that fuckin' microscope so you don't get yourself killed!"

"And _why _do you _care?"_ I ask him.

His cheeks turn red, "Who said I did? I-I _don't-"_

"Hey lovebirds," I hear a voice say, and I look up to see X-Ray standing in the tent flaps, "Any time you want to join us now."

"We're not lovebirds," we both say at the exact same time, which isn't helping our case at all, and X knows it. He raises his eyebrows.

I look at him to Squid and back.

"Fuck this," I mutter, and then I turn.

"Where are you going?" I hear Squid call.

"Somewhere where I don't have to talk about my feelings!" I yell back to him.

Third person.

X-Ray turned to Squid.

"Dude!" he shouted.

"What?" Squid said,

"I called dibs."

"You can not call dibs on a person."

"Oh, do not pull this 'southern gentlemen' shit on me! You believe as much as I do!" X-Ray said, "When we found her, we agreed to rock paper scissors, and I won. I called dibs! And I've been here longer than you, so I deserve something to cheer me up, right?"

Squid glared at X-Ray, but bit his tongue. What he _wanted _to say, was that no, _he, _Squid, deserved someone to cheer _him _up, because he was the one who got arrested for a damn soda can and exactly a dollar fifty in change (that he offered to return) but was still not sure if he was gonna have a home to go to when he got out. And when he did get back, he'd still have no friends, because the people who he wanted as friends were too scared to hang out with him, and the people who wanted to be friends kinda sucked as friends. He had learned that the hard way.

"Right?"

Squid looked up and just about that time X-Ray's face broke into a smile.

"Man!" he cried, "I'm just playing! After that little ordeal, I think the whole tent would agree you two belong together."

X-Ray looped his arm around a very confused Squid.

"Hey, that's what you get for making those jokes about my mama," was the only explanation he threw out.

"Besides," he continued, as they entered the tent, "I got plenty of girls at home waiting for me."

Journey's POV.

There's something eery about the camp, especially at night. I can never tell if it's scary or awesome.

It's not really dark, because there's nothing between the campground and the sky, so the stars and moon are pure and unfiltered, shining down into the holes, and at the same time casting weird shadows around the mounds of dirt. I keep my eyes in them to make sure there are no yellow spotted lizards ready to leap out.

As I walk, I notice a funny shape out of the corner of my eye. Curious, I walk over, while still being cautious. Moving closer, I see there's a large center piece, and it has...legs, maybe? protruding from it. It looks kinda like a kid's toy. But why would that be on the lake bed.

I reach down and pick it up, and realize it's made of rubber, and it _is _a kid's toy. A googly-eyed, polka-dotted, eight-legged kid's toy. But who the hell would bring a rubber octopus to delinquent's camp?

….

_Squid._


	10. Chapter 10

Well, this is interesting, I think as a small smile spreads across my face. I can't help it. This little thing is the solution to all my problems. It has to be his lifeline-the thing he keeps to remind him of home. It'll be like a bargain-my file for his lifeline. It's perfect.

Looks like I'm getting out of here sooner than I expected.

"Journey,wake up!" I hear someone whisper. I feel a hand on my shoulder as I start to open my eyes. The Warden is standing over me.

"You got in late last night, but since you don't want special treatment, you better get up now," she says, moving her hand.

I groan and rub my eyes, but then they pop open.

"Wait-how did you know about that?!" I ask.

"Oh, that," she says, breezily, "I'm the Warden, it's my job. I gotta do something around here to earn my title as the 'she-devil bitch guarding the fiery pits of hell'."

"Riiiight," I say, wondering how she knows about the nickname I called her back at the girls' camp. I stand, grabbing my orange jumpsuit from the back of the couch. I pull it on over the short-shorts and cami that I sleep in, "Well, I, uh, better get digging..."

I'm almost out the door, when she calls out.

"Journey!"

I turn and she tosses me something that I barely catch. Hand-eye coordination, I do not have. I look at it and realize it's a protein bar.

"What's this for?"

"For skipping every meal for the past two days and for hell knows how long before that," she says.

I start to say something back, but one look from her, and I think it's best to hold my tongue.

I start to exit again, but at the last minute, I quickly mutter,

"Thanks."

Then I'm finally gone.

My day can basically be summed up in a sentence; it was hot, and I was miserable. I wasn't the slowest digger, but with nothing pushing me, and with the rest from the past two days, I wasn't exactly jumping at the chance to dig again.

So at lunch, when Squid asked if I needed any help digging, I almost said yes.

"No," I scoffed, acting offended he'd even ask.

He held his hands up, "I was just checking after your little incident yesterday."

My cheeks turned red, "Look, can you let it go already? I'm _fine. _It was just...like, the heat or something."

He raises his eyebrows. "The heat. Right. I'll pretend I believe you."

I glare at him as he walks away, so I don't even notice Twitch when he walks up next to me.

"Hey," he says, and I jump, "What's going with you two?"

"Who two?" I ask, but I'm not that stupid. "Squid? Nothing...why?"

"No reason," he says, avoiding eye contact.

"Uh-uh, that's not how it works, buddy," I tell him, "Who says there's something going on?"

He sighs.

"Look, all I know is that yesterday he and X-Ray were fighting over you, and today he's offering to dig your hole."

"Fighting over me?"

"Yeah, something about who deserves you more."

"Who says either one of them deserves me?" I snap.

"Hey, I'm just the messenger!" he points out. "But, technically, who says they don't?"

I almost say something along the lines of "they're criminals" but then I realize how stupid and shallow that is, especially coming from me.

"Who says I don't already have someone?" I tell Twitch.

Well...actually, I have no clue where we're at at the moment, but still. I'm not one for loose ends. So I can't really start anything with Squid til I end it, officially, with him, anyway...

"Don't tell me, tell Squid," he replies.

"Who says I won't?" I ask.

"...Nobody. I never said that."

"Oh, right...," I say, my cheeks turning slightly pink. I turn towards the direction of Squid's hole.

But when I see him, with the his messy hair, the muscular arms, and the ever-present toothpick sticking out of his mouth, I feel too stupid. There's no way he could like me. Not really.

I turn back to my hole, and tell Twitch to shut up when I see his smug expression.

"Just invite me to your guys' wedding," he says, barely holding in his laughter.

I knock a little bit of dirt from pile back into his hole, and go back to digging.

"Squid and Journey sittin' in a tree..."


	11. Chapter 11

"Stop singing that stupid song!" I say, throwing dirt at him. Twitch dodges it, and smirks. We're the only two left on the lake; I'm still digging, and he finished earlier-just before dinner. I skipped it again, which made Squid walk back out to the lake, with an extra dinner, plus 2 extra apples.

"How'd you get that?" I ask, slightly shocked.

"You're in a delinquent camp now, _sweetheart," _he said, "How do you think I got it? I stole it."

"News flash, _bro, _I was in a delinquent camp before," I said, "And if you think a little stealing is gonna upset me, you might wanna look at that file again."

Squid's cheeks turned a slight pink.

"You haven't forgotten about that?"

I laughed.

"No. I haven't. I wouldn't get too attached, though, if I were you," I told him.

"Why not?"

"Just take my word for it," I said, smirking.

He muttered under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like "girls", and put the brown bag by the edge of my hole.

"As a warning," he said, "Pendanski's determined to get you into group today. Just so you know..."

I nodded, and he turned and started walking.

"Hey, Squid?" I called. He hesitated, then turned back to me, "Thanks," I said, hoping at the distance he couldn't see my cheeks turn pink, "For everything."

He nodded, then turned around quickly, but before he did, I swear I saw him smile.

The problem was, on the way back to camp, Squid passed Twitch, Twitch came up and saw me blushing, and now Twitch is back on his "Journey and Squid are meant to be" kick.

"I'm just saying, he was grinning like an idiot just after talking to you," he said, in his fast-paced voice, "And the whole grabbing dinner for you thing-,"he looked at the untouched bag and frowned, "You should probably eat some by the way."

I sighed. "You're right," I lied. I couldn't let anyone else figure it out. I leaned my shovel against the edges of the hole, and realized they fell short.

"Hey...," I said. I measured the walls. Yep. Five feet. I lined it up horizontally next, and it laid flat all directions.

"Huh," I said. I guess talking to people makes the time go faster.

I knocked two small footholds into the side and climbed out.

"So did your future husband tell you about therapy today?"

"If by future husband, you mean Squid, then yes," I tell him, taking out a sandwich.

"Hey, you knew who I meant..."

"That's because besides you, Squid is my only frie-," I start to say, but then I stop myself before I say the "f" word, "Er-besides you and Squid, I don't talk to anyone here."

And it's true. I've said a couple words in passing to the guys, and none of them hate me-at least I think they don't. Not even X-Ray, even though I think that's mainly cause he's afraid I'll beat the crap out of him with my shovel...again. Which is what I can really hope for at this point. I've learned attachments make it harder to leave, but hatred makes it hell to stay.

I take a bite of the sandwich before looking over and noticing Twitch looking at me weird.

"What?"

"Were you about to say I was your friend?"

I shrug, trying to seem nonchalant. If I say yes, then that's really cheesy. Plus we've only known each other for-what?-three days. But he's still nicer than some of the "friends" I had known for months, even years. I don't wanna say no, because I don't want to offend him, but I really don't want to say yes either.

But he just smiles.

"It's okay," he says, "You know, I don't really have many friends outside of camp, either. I don't think anyone does."

I think about denying it, playing it off like, psh, no, I'm totally awesome popular girl with a squad a besties. But I think we both know better.

"What makes you think that?" I ask him.

"Just what they say in group," he says.

"You mean the guys actually take that seriously?"

"Eh, not really," he shrugs, "But sometimes you just gotta vent, y'know?"

My eyebrows furrow. I pick up an apple and take a bite.

"Surreeee," I say.

"What? You didn't talk at the girls' camp?"

"No," I say, shrugging, "We chatted a little bit about how much the camp sucked, besides that I couldn't tell you anything about my bunk mates."

"Really? I thought girls would be more 'Let's talk about our feelings! Let me cry on your shoulder'!" Twitch's voice wavered a little when he saw the glare I was shooting at him.

"I swear, you guys must think we're pansies. We've done actual crimes, you know. We're as diverse and fucked up as the guys can be. The dynamics are the same. How else would I have survived?"

"By hiding out and not talking to anyone?" Twitch blurts out, and immediately

bites his lip.

I let a little bit of silence linger between us before I say, "Touche," and finish my apple. I rolled the top of the paper bag down-may as well save it for later.

"We better head back to camp. If we're gonna have this big heart to heart fest, I may as well get it over with."


End file.
